


Weathered

by Rakath



Category: Degrassi, Degrassi: Next Class
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-14
Updated: 2018-11-14
Packaged: 2019-08-23 19:34:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16625126
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rakath/pseuds/Rakath
Summary: Maya searches out sanctuary with some former classmates.Set during Next Class: Season 4





	Weathered

Bianca was curled up in their apartment, reading. Drew may have had work today, but she didn’t have classes on the weekend, she just had to curl up here, or a coffee shop, and study. It was a little surprising when she heard the click of the door unlocking, but maybe Drew needed something.

Instead in stormed one Maya Matlin, who walked right from the hall into the livingroom and planted her face in the couch. And screamed, muffled by the fabric she’d pressed her face into. This was somewhat surprising, but Bianca knew about the strange custody Drew and Dallas took upon themselves. Dallas’s idea, the way most bad Drew ideas come about, but they felt after Cam Maya needed someone looking out for her. Bianca didn’t disagree, but didn’t see why it was on them.

So Drew did tell Bianca Maya had a key, and might just… show up, if things were so tough she couldn’t deal at school, or at home. A space she could hide from everyone should she need it. And lo, here she was. “Hi Maya.”

Maya shot up quickly, she stared a moment as she took in that she was not alone like she thought. Maya didn’t look herself, straight hair and no glasses. It made her look older- no, her troubles made her look older. She’d been worn down by things in the past three years or so. Weathered things even more than Cam. Maya tucked a few stray hairs behind her ear, that was a bit more familiar to the old Maya, “Hi Bianca, I wasn’t expecting anyone to be home.”

“I guessed,” Bianca watched Maya, she felt wrong. The awkward smile didn’t quite reach her eyes, her clothes were a bit too ‘grunge’ even for the rock & roll wannabe Maya was. “Do you want to talk through it.”

Bianca would rather not, but at the same time she couldn’t just- leave her like this. In an awkward silence as she resume reading.

“Oh, um… it’s kinda a lot, and you never signed up for- I mean, you never offered. Like Drew. After-”

Bianca moved from her chair over to the sofa with Maya. Maya made a point to move so there was still distance between them. Bianca never labeled the girl as ‘having personal space’ so that was a further curious change to a girl she never really knew. “You know I had a chat with Cam, when he was struggling? Not cause I liked him, but he was definitely going through something.”

Maya flinched at the name, but it passed, and she answered after a few moments, “I never knew how bad he had it, I couldn’t really see it… I didn’t know if I could help, and he never- he never let me-”

“You were a kid, Matlin. You couldn’t do anything anyway, but Cam isn’t what’s bothering you, is he?”

“I-” Maya looked even less alive than she did moments ago, “I tried to do the same thing, a few months ago. The last year has been rough…”

“The crash?” Everyone knew about it. A local school bus crash makes the news, and the named the school with it. Owen’s brother was in a coma for months. She didn’t think about who was on the bus, but Maya being there makes sense.

Maya nodded a few moments later, “After the crash, and Tris, and Adam, and…” there was a break, the word sticking in Maya’s throat. “Cam. My doctor says I can’t bury my feelings and not bring them up, when someone offers to help me.”

“Why do you bury them?”

“I didn’t think- I didn’t want anyone to waste time worrying about me. I’m not worth it.”

Bianca was looking for any signs of where that sentiment came from. Maya looked at peace with the idea, that she wasn’t worth it. Not happy, but nothing about this girl looked happy. Of course, that made sense knowing her history, the things that happened, the things that happened around her. “That’s really messed up.”

“Yeah, I’m starting to realize that. But…”

“There’s more?” Bianca didn’t want to think of what more could be. Maya was riding around with the weight of three lives on her shoulders, which was insane. That is pretty much how Maya got here, lost in her own head. For years.

“Everyone is so… weird. Like, nice to me. In ways they weren’t before?”

Bianca was trying to put together how ‘nice’ could be a bad thing. Then she remembered after Cam. Everyone was on eggshells around Maya. Even if they were there for her, it was like they didn’t want to be near her either. That getting too close would make her shatter. Maya did shatter, and everyone was afraid it’d happen again. “People don’t get it. How to deal with someone so much stronger than they are?”

Maya looked confused, “Stronger?”

“You’ve lived with one scary thing after another. Finding me and Katie in your kitchen. Cam’s suicide. Adam’s death. All of this. And I’m betting more from how much of a hellhole Degrassi can be.” Bianca scooted closer and pulled Maya into a hug. “I’m sure most of them couldn’t handle half of it, not without falling apart a lot faster than you. Now that they’ve seen you fall apart, they’ve just forgotten how long you lasted.”

“Katie still hates you.”

“Your sister can jump off a pier. But you’re pretty alright Matlin.”

Maya finally returned the hug. It eventually turned into Maya curling up with her head in Bianca’s lap. ‘She had trouble sleeping alone.’ Which Bianca accepted, and read quietly while she waited. Quickly firing off a text to Drew without moving, letting Maya be for now.

_ Bring food for three, we have company. Try not to make a lot of noise coming home. _

Guess she was taking over for Dallas now, helping to mind this girl. Sister of a woman she hated, who seemed to just attract trouble. Well, once upon a time, Bianca’s name was trouble. The whole school keeping their distance due to her rep. Her past. Much of it in her control as Maya’s past was for her.

There were worse people to help.

***

“So you’re her friend now, after all that?”

“I guess, she didn’t really know how to handle people back then. And she was kinda struggling with being gay when she slept with Zig.”

“But after all the things she did to you? I never would give her the time of day after even that thing in Paris.”

“If I turned my back on everyone who betrayed me I’d be alone.” Maya shrugged, stealing a chip away from Bianca’s plate.

The pair got tired of waiting for Drew so they raided the pantry for snacks. Maya was looking a little more alive after her nap. “You need better friends.”

“Maybe. Maybe I’ll make good friends in California.”

“You better. You really need to take care of yourself. Okay?”

“ _ Fine. _ Mom.”

Bianca shoved her.

“I try, it’s just- I never realized how much it was, how much I just was keeping with me. I still haven’t gotten rid of it.”

“I have my own baggage. Stuff I regret, stuff I realize wasn’t my fault, stuff I couldn’t put a stop to. Once you sort it all out, you’ll feel better about it.”

There was a hesitation, before Maya spoke again, “...What did you help Cam with?”

“Oh, it was a really high school thing,” Bianca snagged two chips, “Dallas and the rest of the team had goaded Cam into trying to flirt with me. He sucked at it.”

“He was never really great at that stuff.”

“After that, in school a few days later he’d accidentally come into the girl’s bathroom while he was freaking out. He was terrified and alone, I tried to talk him through it cause I realized he wasn’t the skeeze who hit on me. Just a dumb country farmboy too far from home, with all the wrong people in his corner.”

“...I kinda wish I had this, while I was spiraling. All my friends were- they weren’t available. I pushed the one person who tried away, cause I was told to. Instead of believing he could be there for me.”

“That Saad guy you talked about?”

“Mom, Mr. Simpson, everyone wanted me to be myself again. The old me. And she wasn’t Saad’s friend.”

“They didn’t know him, and by the sounds of it, see you. They just saw who they wanted you to be.”

Maya just silently took a chip.

“But who you are now isn’t bad, kid. She’s just… been through a lot. And that’s something I have more than a bit of experience with. Just keep in mind what matters, and you’ll be fine.”

There was a click of the door as Drew showed up with two bags of take-out.

“We’re in the living room Drew!”

“Oh, hey Maya, I guess things got to be a bit much. The usual stuff?”

Maya nodded, “Bianca talked me through it. Let me sleep a bit.”

“Okay, anyway, I got burgers, poutine, some hotdogs. And a pizza.”

Maya and Bianca at the same time held out a hand, and in unison, “Burger please.”

Then laughed.

“Let’s go to the table, then.”

Bianca glanced at Drew, “Maya, could you get some plates and take them to the dinner table. We’ll be there in a second.”

Drew blinked. Maya spent a moment staring at the pair, “Sure, I’ll let you two talk.”

“What’s up babe?”

“Do you think it’d be okay if you took the couch tonight?”

“Um, why?”

“Maya seems better, but I wanna offer her the bed. She says she has less nightmares if she isn’t alone when she sleeps. And unlike you, I’m not afraid of her sister.”

Drew thinks a moment, the wrong thing. Bianca punches him in the arm.

“Perv. Just sleeping.”

“Sure, I get how nightmares mess with you, how bad is she?”

“She’ll be fine, but I think she needs a bit of time away from everyone who knows her too well.”

Drew shrugs, “I’d argue with you, but I’ve learned you’re right way more than I am.”

“Except when I dumped you, that was a bonehead move on my part.”

“Well, yes, but other than that.”

Bianca smirked, “Kiss-ass.” Then kissed Drew for his statement.

“Not tonight, you’re sleeping with another woman.” Drew smirked and headed for the kitchen not giving Bianca the proper chance to respond.

**Author's Note:**

> So quick thing to get out of the way: Drew and Bianca hooked up again after Drew graduated. When doesn't matter but they've been together a while.
> 
> The major AU item is that Dallas and Drew were more involved in Maya's school life since the start of Season 13 than they were in the show. Mostly because those two would TOTALLY be the type to go "Please never speak to our daughter again" whenever Maya was hassled, due to their misplaced duty and guilt after the respective death's of Cam and Adam. Which is just a cute concept I wish we got.
> 
> Cause honestly Maya needs all the parents she can get, and those two would be fantastic dads to an unruly trouble struck teenager.


End file.
